Hi, all! :-)

On behalf of Hannes Hirzel, who is our release manager for Squeak 5.3 ( [http://wiki.squeak.org/squeak/275]http://wiki.squeak.org/squeak/275 [http://wiki.squeak.org/squeak/275]), I am happy to announce the next feature freeze. It will be this Sunday, December 8, 2019.

(Hannes is quite busy these days. During the past months, we exchanged many thoughts on this release. So let us make it happen! I am sure he will pop up on the squeak-dev list soon again.)

During that freeze (aka. beta phase), we want to focus on bug hunting; new features will be collected in the inbox only ( [http://source.squeak.org/inbox/]http://source.squeak.org/inbox/ [http://source.squeak.org/inbox/]). We are eager to push out this release until Christmas. 2019! ;-) So the freeze will hopefully be over on December 24. Maybe earlier. 

So, if you update you local Trunk image on Monday morning, it should show "Squeak 5.3beta" instead of:



Where do you get a fresh Squeak Trunk image to test?
-> Via  [https://squeak.org/downloads/]https://squeak.org/downloads/ [https://squeak.org/downloads/]
-> or  [http://files.squeak.org/trunk/]http://files.squeak.org/trunk/ [http://files.squeak.org/trunk/] (the latest ones at the bottom)
-> or  [http://files.squeak.org/5.3beta/]http://files.squeak.org/5.3beta/ [http://files.squeak.org/5.3beta/] (soon)

Which virtual machine (VM) should you use?
-> The version from Nov 28, 2019:  [https://github.com/OpenSmalltalk/opensmalltalk-vm/releases/tag/201911282316]https://github.com/OpenSmalltalk/opensmalltalk-vm/releases/tag/201911282316 [https://github.com/OpenSmalltalk/opensmalltalk-vm/releases/tag/201911282316]
-> That version will be already in all 5.3beta bundles that have a VM bundled within.
-> Double check via Help > About Squeak:



What should you test?
-> Both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. If possible on macOS, Windows, and Linux operating systems.
-> Hannes suggested a focus on Squeak's Etoys features. Here are some pointers:
*  [http://forum.world.st/Etoys-infested-by-deprecation-warnings-td5104215.htm]http://forum.world.st/Etoys-infested-by-deprecation-warnings-td5104215.htm [http://forum.world.st/Etoys-infested-by-deprecation-warnings-td5104215.htm]
*  [http://wiki.squeak.org/squeak/1183]http://wiki.squeak.org/squeak/1183 [http://wiki.squeak.org/squeak/1183]
*  [http://wiki.squeak.org/squeak/3815]http://wiki.squeak.org/squeak/3815 [http://wiki.squeak.org/squeak/3815]
*  [http://wiki.squeak.org/squeak/1174]http://wiki.squeak.org/squeak/1174 [http://wiki.squeak.org/squeak/1174]
*  [http://wiki.squeak.org/squeak/6601]http://wiki.squeak.org/squeak/6601 [http://wiki.squeak.org/squeak/6601]
-> The preference wizard that pops up at the beginning in a fresh image.
-> Bugs listed in Mantis ( [http://bugs.squeak.org/view_all_bug_page.php]http://bugs.squeak.org/view_all_bug_page.php [http://bugs.squeak.org/view_all_bug_page.php]) that are still there and really annoying.
-> Grammar/spelling issues in all kinds of texts such as in buttons, menus, help topics, release notes, tutorials (http://wiki.squeak.org/squeak/792 [http://wiki.squeak.org/squeak/792]) etc.

Where should you report the bugs?
-> First, make sure you are working on the latest Trunk version! (Squeak > Update)
-> Please post any bugs directly on the squeak-dev list.

What about SistaV1; is it ready?
-> No, it will not be enabled by default in Squeak 5.3. After the release, we plan to immediately switch the regular Trunk from V3 to SistaV1 to do more tests. Please do all tests using the default V3-with-closures bytecode set. Meaning, just use the ones from files.squeak.org as described above.

How can I dive into Etoys; where is it? 
-> It is already available in the form of any morph's tile halo. However, the following code snippet will turn your image into an Etoys station:

ReleaseBuilderSqueakland intermediatePrepareForUsers.  
Preferences
     disable: #noviceMode;  
     enable: #generalizedYellowButtonMenu;  
     enable: #showAdvancedNavigatorButtons;  
     disable: #eToyFriendly.  
TheWorldMainDockingBar showWorldMainDockingBar: true.



Have fun and thank you all for your support! :-)

Best,
Marcel

P.S.: This mail will arrive again several times soon because of some hick-up in our mail infrastructure. ;-)
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